Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes Bill Restricting Gender Healthcare For Transgender Adults

The 2023 legislative session is right around the corner and lawmakers are already beginning to file legislation.

One State Senator is proposing a bill that could criminalize health professionals for providing gender medicine and healthcare to transgender adults. This isn’t Senator David Bullard’s first bill pertaining to the transgender community. Last session he authored SB 615 which put guidelines on what restrooms students can use.

This session he is proposing a bill that would criminalize healthcare professionals from providing "gender transition procedures to any individual under 26 years old."

“The bill is a restriction on transgender medicine and procedures just making sure that we have it restricted to an age where cognitive development is mature. The brain is not fully developed until 25,” said Republican Senator David Bullard who represents District 6.

“There is a lot of debate about different ages, any of these bans are harmful. What we are talking about is an expansion of the Oklahoma legislature choosing to disrupt best practice medical care in this case for transgender people,” said Nicole McAfee, the Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma.

If passed, this law will prohibit procedures like gender reassignment and prescribing testosterone or estrogen to transgender adult.

“If you’re willing to violate the law, the penalties are that you could lose your license, could be a felony, could be civil liabilities against you,” he said.

Those in opposition said this kind of care can be lifesaving.

“We know things like puberty blockers can have a dramatic difference in someone’s ability to stay alive. To disrupt suicidality* if they are a transgender young person,” said McAfee.

“Their Hippocratic oath you know their first oath was “to do no harm” and so that is what this surgery or these procedures do,” said Bullard.

The State Senator told News 9 he did speak to doctors when writing the bill but did not consult with anyone in the transgender community. He says he has plans to speak to transgender Oklahomans.